Quiz: Howstuffworks

Famous Volcanoes Quiz

About This Quiz

Volcanoes are both terrifying and beautiful to behold. How much do you know about these famous volcanoes?

Where will you find Novarupta?

Siberia

Alaska

Chile

This is the site of the biggest eruption in the 20th century, which happened in 1912.

How many major glaciers are there on Mount Rainier?

8

16

26

And if it erupted, those glaciers could melt and cause devastating mudflows throughout the heavily-populated valley.

Where is the world's biggest volcano?

Siberia

under the Pacific Ocean

Yellowstone National Park

It is an enormous shield volcano called Tamu Massif, about 1,000 miles east of Japan. Its summit is about 6,500 feet below the ocean's surface.

How long is Tamu Massif?

60 miles

87 miles

400 miles

And it is 280 miles wide, giving it an area of (gulp) 100,000 square miles.

True or False: The Tamu Massif volcano is still active.

true

false

It is considered extinct, to the good fortune of basically every living thing on Earth.

How many people died as a result of the 1912 eruption of Novarupta?

zero

12

121

Its remoteness meant no one was directly in the path of the 60-hour eruption.

About how many earthquakes are there near the Yellowstone Caldera each year?

between 1,000 and 2,000

roughly 5,000

too many to count

Most are pretty minor, but they are a reminder that the area has the potential for a massive eruption.

The Ojos del Salado is home to which incredibly high feature?

highest lake

highest glacier

highest wildlife refuge

The lake is nearly 21,000 feet high and exists in a very dry environment.

What are the Volcanic Seven Summits?

the highest volcanoes on each continent

a string of volcanoes in the Ring of Fire

the seven tallest active volcanoes

Some mountain climbers make it a goal to climb all of them.

What is an example of a stratovolcano?

Hverfjall

Mount St. Helens

Mauna Loa

Stratovolcanoes are also called composite volcanoes because they have so many different layers.

Where is the biggest active volcano on the planet?

Antarctica

Hawaii

Indonesia

It is Mauna Loa, which researchers think has probably been erupting for the past 700,000 years or so.

Mauna Loa is what type of volcano?

shield

composite

cinder cone

From above, these volcanoes often resemble shields; this is the most common type of volcano in the Hawaiian islands.

Mount Sidley is the tallest volcano on which continent?

North America

Australia

Antarctica

It was discovered by plane in 1934 and first climbed in 1990.

What type of volcano is Mount Sidley?

shield

composite

lava dome

It is 14,058 feet tall, with a spectacular caldera on top, yet hardly anyone has ever laid eyes on it due to the remote location.

What is the tallest volcano on Earth?

Mauna Kea

Ojos del Salado

Antofalla

Mauna Kea is the tallest when measured from its base at the ocean floor to its very summit.

From the ocean floor base to its summit, how tall is Mauna Kea?

about 25,000 feet

about 29,000 feet

about 33,000 feet

That number makes it taller than Mount Everest.

What does "Eyjafjallajokull" mean in English?

Eye of the Earth

The Evil Spire

Island Mountain Glacier

It erupted in 2010 and wreaked havoc on the airline industry thanks to its huge ash clouds.

On which continent are all of the 10 tallest volcanoes?

South America

Africa

Asia

They are all 20,000 feet or higher, creating some of the most arduous terrain on Earth.

What is the current status of Pico de Orizaba?

active

dormant

extinct

At 18,491 feet, it is the highest mountain in Mexico.

What sort of volcano is Paricutin, which is found in Mexico?

lava dome

composite

cinder cone

Staring in the 1940s, this one erupted for nearly a decade, slowly adding to its height.

What is the most active volcano in Antarctica?

Mount Sidley

Mount Erebus

Mount Terror

It has been active for around 1.3 million years; it soars to nearly 12,500 feet.

How tall is Ojos del Salado, the volcano with the highest summit in the world?

19,101 feet

21,365 feet

22,549 feet

It is in the Andes mountains on the border of Chile and Argentina.

When was the last time Ojos del Salado erupted?

1730

1993

2003

That was just a minor (and scarcely documented) eruption; a bigger one exploded around 1,000 years ago.

About how many volcanoes make up the Pacific Ring of Fire?

about 200

about 450

about 700

The shifting of Earth's tectonic plates are what gives rise to many of these volcanoes.

What kind of volcano is Mount Fuji?

cinder cone

composite

shield

Composite volcanoes have a system of channels that allow magma to work its way to the surface.

What does "Mauna Kea" mean in English?

white mountain

slow hill

heaven's gate

It is a dormant volcano and the highest point in the entire state of Hawaii.

From its above-water base to its summit, how tall is Mauna Kea?

11,334 feet

13,802 feet

15,210 feet

It's much more impressive when you factor its submerged base.

Strombolian eruptions are named after a volcano that's located where?

Sicily

Greece

Turkey

These types of eruptions are often fiery, fun to watch and less dangerous to human life.

How many volcanoes are listed on the Decade Volcanoes list, which highlights some of the world's volcanoes with the greatest risk to human life and property?

8

16

24

Two U.S. volcanoes are on the list -- Mauna Loa and Mount Rainier.

Where is Mount Etna?

Spain

Italy

France

This very active volcano is one of the most dangerous in the world, but it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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